The Dragoon Mountains is a range of mountains located in Cochise County, Arizona. The range is about 25 mi (40 km) long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox. The name originates from the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Dragoons who battled the Chiricahua, including Cochise, during the Apache Wars. The Dragoons established posts around 1856 after the Gadsden Purchase made it a U.S. territory.
History
Fossilized horn coral has been discovered on exposed limestone rock.[2]
Ancient pictographs and matate dating to AD 1200 exist in the area and are attributed to the Mogollon people.[3] The Apache people resided in this area beginning in the 15th century.[3]
The warrior Cochise and his army defeated a small force of Confederate soldiers here at the First Battle of Dragoon Springs but was defeated at the Second Battle of Dragoon Springs a few days later. Cochise Stronghold Memorial Park lies near Mount Glenn on the eastern slope of the range and the historic town of Tombstone can be found at the southwestern portion of the range. There are also several ghost towns in the Dragoon Mountains including Gleeson and Courtland.
The mountains were included in the short-lived Dragoon National Forest, which was established in 1907 and combined into Coronado National Forest in 1908. The area is now included in the Douglas Ranger District.[4]
Dragoon, Arizona lies between the Dragoon Mountains to the southwest and the Little Dragoon Mountains to the northwest.
Flora and fauna
Evergreen oak woodlands and pines surround many areas of the range, as well as desert ferns, yucca, and cactus. Other notable species in the area include hexalectris colemanii, lupinus lemmonii, and penstemon discolor.
Climbing history
The earliest known roped, technical climbing in Cochise Stronghold took place in 1966, involving John Rupley and Fred Beckey making a first ascent of a route on Vortex Dome.[5] In 1967 a set of climbers including Joanna McComb, Merle Wheeler, Don Morris and Dan Jones made several attempts to top out Rockfellow Dome, the highest of the summits in this tight group. Although they did not succeed in reaching that particular summit they established high quality routes while maintaining a bold and clean climbing ethic.[6] In 1972 Dave Baker (founder of Summit Hut in Tucson), Mark Axon and Mike McEwenbegan climbing in Cochise. Eventually others including Gary Axen, Kem Johnson, Jake Bender, Scott Williams, Gary Hervert and Marti Woerner joined this group. This group eventually completed ascents of Rockfellow Dome, End Pinnacle and Cochise Dome. They touched off what is known as the Golden Age of first ascents in Cochise.[7] Later notable climbers who were responsible for establishing routes in the area included Steve Grossman, John Steiger and Paul Davidson. In 1979 this trio succeeded in climbing a route they named “As the Wind Cries” to the top of Chey Deas Tsay, the only dome remaining in Cochise Stronghold that had not yet been ascended.[8]
Further reading
ToofastTopos 2, Cochise Stronghold Rock Climbing. Author: Geir Hundal, (2018).
